June 6, 2007 - Knoxville Mayor Bill
Haslam and Police Chief Sterling Owen today named Officer Kevin
Ragland, Officer William Muhlfeld, Officer Jonathan Chadwell, and
Officer Matthew Janish the March Officers of the Month. Officer
Ragland and Officer Chadwell have been with the Knoxville Police
Department since November 2003. Officer Muhlfeld and Officer Janish
have been with the department since June 2006.

Chief
Owen said that on March 27, 2007 the officers responded to a medical
call at an apartment on Highland Avenue. EMT's treated the victim
at the scene before being transported to a hospital for treatment.
The officers observed marijuana, hydrocodone pills, powder cocaine,
and a set of digital scales in plain view. A loaded handgun was
also observed in the room where the victim and drugs were located.
The officers asked the victim's roommate for verbal permission to
conduct a search of the apartment, but the roommate refused to consent
to the search request.

Chief Owen said, "After being denied verbal permission to
search the apartment, the officers obtained a search warrant. As
a result, numerous weapons and an assortment of illegal drugs were
located and seized."

The results of the search were as follows:

Three shotguns

One rifle

One handgun

2.2 lbs. of marijuana in a large plastic bag

66 grams of marijuana in small plastic bags - packaged for
resale

100 hydrocodone pills

46 ecstasy pills

One plastic bag of powdered ecstasy

One plastic bag of powdered cocaine

Two sets of scales

Nine glass marijuana pipes

$1,361.00

Chief Owen said, "Rather than just respond to a call and process
it as a routine medical call, these officers paid close attention
to their surroundings and conducted a thorough preliminary investigation.
Their actions resulted in the arrest and removal of a heavily armed
drug dealer from the UT / Ft. Sanders area."

Mayor Haslam said, "Their actions have made a major impact
on the safety and security of the residents in this area and the
students attending UT. We commend them on a job well done."
The officers will receive a signed certificate from the mayor and
chief along with a free dinner from Bayou Bay Seafood House.